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Movie Mix was a television channel that was originally available through the Freeview platform, initially as a live-quiz service under the name of The Big Deal in July 2009 before being turned into a movie channel in December 2012.
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | United Kingdom Ireland |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
| Programming | |
| Picture format | 576i 16:9 SDTV |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Square 1 Management Ltd. (Cellcast Group) (2009-2014) Sony Pictures Television (2014-2017) |
| History | |
| Launched | 15 July 2009 |
| Closed | 10 January 2017 |
| Replaced by | Sony Movie Channel |
| Former names | The Big Deal (2009-2012) |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| Freeview | Channel 32 |
On 10 January 2017, the network was replaced with Sony Movie Channel, which Movie Mix already broadcast similar programming to.
History
editThe Big Deal
editThe channel was launched as The Big Deal on 15 July 2009. The Big Deal was a phone-in quiz game service that showcased presenter-led games and puzzles, with cash prizes to be won for viewers who guessed the correct answers. Viewers were asked to call in or log on to The Big Deal website to enter these games. The channel aired seven days a week from 10:00pm–5:00am, timesharing with RT and Create and Craft on Multiplex D. on 30 September 2009, as part of Freeview's major retuning, Rocks & Co. was added, which caused The Big Deal to reduce its broadcast hours to 12:30am–5:00am.
On 6 November 2009, The Big Deal ceased broadcasting its live quiz content, with the channel being turned into a full-time Teleshopping network. In January 2010, the channel's broadcast hours were reduced further to 4:00am–6:00am. By June 2010, the channel began time sharing with Dave Ja Vu, at the same hours.
At the end of 2010, a 24-hour version of the channel was made available in post-digital switchover areas. the fulltime version was made available in all areas on 2 March 2011.
On 12 April 2011, The Big Deal began broadcasting TView, a short-lived pay-per-view film service, with broadcasting hours reduced to 18:00-05:00.[1] The TView service ran until 27 April 2011, when it was replaced by teleshopping, and its hours were reduced further to 18:00-22:00. From 7 July 2011, The Big Deal changed back to operating 05:00-06:00, then, on 6 September 2011 it changed its broadcasting 00:00-04:00. The broadcasting hours were changed again on 20 October 2011 to 03:00-05:00. By this point, in addition to teleshopping presentations the channel also broadcast psychic sessions in which the viewer could ask for their own psychic reading.
Movie Mix
editOn 6 December 2012, The Big Deal was renamed Movie Mix on the programme guide, and reacquired a 24-hour broadcast slot.[2] The channel continued airing chiefly teleshopping - initially via a simulcast of Speed Auction TV - as well as a classic movie each night.[3]
On 17 January 2013, Movie Mix on Freeview began to simulcast the full schedule of films and programmes of satellite channel More Than Movies (previously known as men&movies), though presented under the retained Movie Mix branding.[4] The Movie Mix channel initially remained owned and operated by Cellcast subsidiary Square 1 Management,[5] but using More Than Movies programming under license from Sony Pictures Television.[6]
In March 2014, Cellcast agreed to early termination of its exclusive rights for Movie Mix for a one-off payment of £2.98m from Entertainment Networks, a subsidiary of Sony Pictures Television,[7] bringing Movie Mix and More Than Movies under common ownership. The channels continued to carry the same programming and split branding as before.
On 22 March 2016, More Than Movies on satellite was closed down and was replaced by True Crime, with Movie Mix retained on Freeview only, broadcasting its own programming schedule, By this time many films on Movie Mix on Freeview were also being broadcast on the Sony Movie Channel on satellite, though the channels retained separate schedules and branding.
On 12 August 2016 Movie Mix began testing on Virgin Media cable systems, with the channel fully launched on 25 August 2016. This meant the Movie Mix schedule was now available on terrestrial and cable platforms, but not on satellite.
In December 2016 it was announced that Sony Movie Channel would be re-launched and made available over cable and Freeview in January 2017, by way of a rebranding of Movie Mix.[8][9] On 10 January 2017, Sony Movie Channel replaced Movie Mix Freeview and Virgin Media platforms.[10] In preparation for the switch Movie Mix and SMC had been broadcasting an identical schedule in the final days prior to the transition.
References
edit- ^ "New Freeview channel offers PPV Bollywood". Biz Asia. 20 April 2011. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
- ^ "Big Deal morphs as Speed Auction TV and Classic Movies arrive on Freeview channel 32". a516digital. 6 December 2012. Archived from the original on 16 December 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
- ^ "Changes to Freeview Channel 32". Radio and Telly. 6 December 2012. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
- ^ "MovieMix morphs again as channel aligned with More>Movies". a516digital. 17 January 2013. Archived from the original on 16 December 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
- ^ "Television Broadcast Licensing Update December 2012". Ofcom. Archived from the original on 11 January 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
- ^ "is the movie mix..." Sony Entertainment Television. Facebook. 17 January 2013.
- ^ "Cellcast UK Ltd - Company Profile and News". www.bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
- ^ "Sony preps UK movie channel". c21Media. Archived from the original on 19 April 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
- ^ "Sony Movie Channel to go live on UK platforms". TBI Vision. 13 December 2016. Archived from the original on 19 April 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
- ^ "Sony Movie Channel to replace MovieMix on Freeview and Virgin". SEENIT. 6 January 2017. Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.